Category Archives: British Politics

2022, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Binge worthy, Blackmail, British Politics, Career Competition, CIA, Complicated, Corrupt Politicians, DO NOT MISS, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Friendship, MI-6, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Plot twists, Political Intrigue, Revenge, Russian Spy, Suspense, Trust Nobody

Treason (2022)

From IMDB:

Adam Lawrence was trained and groomed by MI6; his career seems set. When the past catches up with him in the form of Kara, a Russian spy with whom he shares a complicated past, he is forced to question everything and everyone in his life.

From Netflix you can stream the 5 episodes of this British political intrigue series. Each episode lasts roughly 40 minutes.

Potentially complicated, this series is actually fairly easy to follow. As usual the theme is “you can’t trust anyone.”  Your task is to figure out who is the Russian spy in the British government.  Is Adam Lawrence the traitor?  Who killed the 5 men in Baku?

Be ready for unexpected twists and turns in this binge-worthy British thriller.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, British Drama, British History, British Police, British Politics, Detective, Drama, Ethical struggles, Everybody lies, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Government cover-up, Historical Fiction, Manslaughter, Marital Infidelity, Miners, Miners versus Scabs, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Panic Attacks, Personal Betrayal, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Redemption, Revenge, Sister-sister relations, Small British village, Suicide, Suspense, Undercover police spy, Undercover police work, Violent, Wonderful acting, Yorkshire Accents

Sherwood (2022)

From IMDB:

Two shocking and unexpected murders shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box you can stream the 6 episodes of this north England series. Each episode is just under an hour.

In 1984 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher crushed a coal miner’s strike, thereby earning her title of “Iron Lady.”  Hard feelings between the striking miner’s and those who continued to work, so-called “scabs”,  have persisted from then on.  Sherwood is a small town historically associated with Robin Hood.  Of all the town’s inhabitants only one family is a “scab” family.  Striker versus scab is the paramount theme of this series which continually bounces back and forth between 1984 and the present.

Past tragedies involved the  young policemen and miners who now are middle age going on retirement.  One challenge in watching this series is to match the young characters with their present-day versions.

There are three vital subplots:

  • Someone is murdering people with a crossbow. We soon learn who and the police hunt is intense.
  • Andy Fisher inadvertently kills his daughter-in-law and the hunt is on.
  • In 1984 there was an undercover police spy, dubbed the “spy cop”, who incorporated his-or-herself into the community.  Again there is this third hunt to find the “spy cop.”

If you watch much British drama you will recognize many familiar faces. As usual in British drama the acting is superb.  With such an engaging and suspenseful plot you cannot go wrong.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Accidental Death, Adultery, Anxiety Attacks, British Drama, British Politics, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Lawyers, Netflix Streaming, Oxford University, Privileged Upper Class, Rape, Sex Scenes, Trial Scenes

Anatomy of a Scandal (2022)

From IMDB:

A sexual consent scandal amongst British privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of this one season drama. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Michelle Dockery, who became well know with her role as Lady Mary Crawley in “Downton Abbey”, shines here where she portrays the lawyer Kate Woodcroft who is prosecuting James Whitehouse, played by Rupert Friend, for the rape of a subordinate.

For all his privileged life, James Whitehouse has managed to avoid any punishment for various serious misdeeds which are dramatized as the story proceeds.   His loyal wife Sophie Whitehouse, played by Sienna Miller, has protected James throughout their long life together.

One early misdeed was James’ rape of Holly Berry at Oxford.  First we witness the rape and then we learn that Kate Woodcroft is the now mature and unrecognizable Holly Berry with a name change. Her role in the trial is clearly criminal. While keeping her identity secret  she struggles with this obvious conflict of interest.

As the trial proceeds, wife Sophie begins to have doubts. Eventually James reveals to Sophie some of his early misdeeds, while never admitting to either rape.  Wife Sophie also eventually realizes that the prosecutor is Holly Berry.  For the rest of the story  you will just have to watch the 6 episodes.

Call it a DO NOT MISS potboiler.

2011, Acorn TV, Action Film, Bloody scenes, British Politics, Brother-Brother relations, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Prison Guards, Corruption, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, False Imprisonment, Father-son relations, Lawyers, Murder, Newspaper Culture, Personal Betrayal, Plot Twist, Plot twists, Political Conspiracy, Political Intrigue, Politicians, Prison, Surprise Ending, Suspense, Unscrupulous drive to power, Violent

Hidden (2011)

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From Acorn TV:

When a mysterious lawyer (Thekla Reuten, In Bruges) asks solicitor Harry Venn (Philip Glenister, Life on Mars, The Level) to find a missing alibi witness for her client, he’s forced to delve back into his murky past and uncover a far-reaching conspiracy in this “intelligent, pacy TV thriller” (The Telegraph) that also stars David Suchet (Poirot) and Richard Dormer (Fortitude, Game of Thrones).

From Acorn TV (all British, $7.99 per month) you can stream the 4 episodes of this British political conspiracy thriller. Each episode lasts a bit less than an hour.

Most political thrillers (as well as detective series) have the same list of categories such as family conflict, personal betrayal, action film, intrigue, conspiracy, corruption, assassination, and so forth. Of course the difference from one series to the next depends on writing, acting, details, the story itself. For this series I might add “nail biter”.  Each episode offers a suspenseful sub-story with its own conclusion all leading up to a riveting and surprising conclusion. Underlying the entire story is Harry Venn wondering who killed his older brother which ties together all the episodes.

You may see the actors in IMDB. When it comes to villains Anna Chancellor as Elspeth and Matthew Marsh as Morpeth are chillingly perfect. And what a surprise to see David Suchet as someone other than Poirot.

Are there flaws?  Yes, most notably that some of the narrow escapes are a bit too convenient.  But the plot turn at each such mini-conclusion is an intriguing surprise.  Even the very ending, which is not suspenseful,  is somewhat unexpected.

Riveting,  suspenseful, good guys and bad guys: what’s not to like? Give this one a DO NOT MISS!

2018, Amazon Prime, Amusing banter, Based on true facts, British, British Comedy, British Politics, Career Competition, Comedy, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Courtroom scenes, Drama, Eccentric cast of characters, Explicit sexual discussion, Extramarital Affair, Farce, Gay theme, Homophobia, Lot's of Fun, Mother-son relations, Murder, Personal Betrayal, Sex Scenes, True Story, Witty dialog

A Very English Scandal (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

The shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for conspiracy to murder. Jeremy Thorpe (Hugh Grant), the leader of the Liberal party, has a secret he’s desperate to hide. His ex-lover Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw) is putting Thorpe’s brilliant political career at risk so Thorpe schemes and deceives until he realizes there’s only one way to silence Scott for good.

From Amazon Prime you can stream a true one-season drama divided into 3 one hour episodes.

Recall that in 1967 Britain decriminalized homosexual acts between two men over 21 years of age. This true story takes place before and after that year, which influences how the characters behave. Do not be alarmed. Although the entire story centers around homosexuality in the British culture and law, the only sexual activity you will see is men kissing each other.

This drama is a COMEDY. You have to appreciate the restraint of British humor. Characters will say or plan outrageous events with a perfectly straight face.  Two characters will commit conspiracy to murder without showing emotion. But much of the time,  it is  tongue in cheek. Sometimes I had to laugh out loud.

Certain actors stand out:

  • An ageing Hugh Grant (he looks to me much older than his 58 years)  plays Jeremy Thorpe the plotting politician.  His facial expressions show him to be an accomplished actor.
  • Ben Whishaw plays the somewhat flamboyant Norman Scott who tends to break into tears now and then. He won a golden globe award for his role.
  • Alex Jennings is Jeremy’s best friend and co-conspirator. His 61 years also show. He played King Leopold in Victoria and also played Dr. Tim Finch in Unforgotten.

At the very end you get to see the photographs of the actual persons involved and how their lives turned out.  Norman Scott is still alive.

It is a HOOT!

 

2018, Abduction, Action Film, Action Hero, Anti-terrorism, British, British Politics, Car Chase, Career Competition, Complicated, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gangs, Made For TV, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Political Suspense, Politicians, PTSD, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Terrorists, Thriller, Valium appropriate, Violent, War Veterans

Bodyguard (2018)

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From IMDB:

A contemporary thriller featuring the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

From Netflix:

Sgt. David Budd is promoted to a protection detail for UK Home Secretary Julia Montague, but he quickly clashes with the hawkish politician.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of the only season available.  Each episode is an hour except the last episode which lasts 75 minutes.

In Britain this TV series was a well-deserved smash hit. Character interplay, plot, action sequences, and romance are seamlessly joined. Because certain scenes are meticulously detailed (for example the disarming of a bomb attached to a person), some viewers might at times find the film progress slow. However, for me those details just added to the unceasing tension.  At times I was literally on the edge of my seat.

Purposeful spoiler: the series has a satisfactory end.

WARNING:  British thriller TV series are not squeamish and have no qualms about killing off characters that you might think were essential to the plot.

Gina McKee (who plays Anne Sampson) was familiar to me as the actor who played Irene Forsyte in the 2002 TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.  Along with her character, Richard Madden (as David Budd) and Keeley Hawes (as Julia Montague) steal the show. But all the acting is wonderful.

As far as political thrillers go,  you cannot go wrong with this series.